The Raven and the Wolf
by aka Arashi
Summary: Years after the war, Mai battles the most challenging foe of all - Boredom. When Sokka shows up with secret information and a secret mission for two, she's powerless to resist... A fic in Three Parts. For Maikka Week 2010.
1. Part One

**Author's Notes: **This is a three part Maikka fic written for Maikka Week 2010, hosted and promoted by Loopy777. This story fits in the same Time Line or Universe as _The Dragon and the Wolf_ and takes place 1-2 years previously.

**Promotion and Pimpage: **Loopy777 and I are working on a Screencap Comic for ATLA - AvataRPG: The Last Dicebender. Check out my profile for links! Loopy also just posted a new story, _Airship of Looooove!_ set in my _Book Four_ Universe. The "Lost Chapters" or _Book Four's_ very own "Tales of Ba Sing Se" (or in this case, "Tales of Iroh's Airship). Check it out for shipping shenanigans and more (Check my Favorites links)! And last but not least, I have a modern ATLA AU Commando comic called "Tactical Forces" - written by me, drawn by my uber talented friend Daughterofthestars. Check out my profile for links.

Now on with the fic. :)

**The Raven and the Wolf: Part 1**

Thunder shook the walls of the royal chamber and Mai scowled, her mood darkening with the coming storm.

"Listen, I know you're not happy about this, but I swear it will only be for a little while."

Zuko had missed the point, again, and Mai was nothing if not interested in all things of a pointy nature. "You don't get it, Zuko. I'm not mad that you're leaving."

The young Fire Lord straightened up, looking confused. The expression had become something of a default for him in the last few months. "But…"

"I'm mad that you're not taking me with you. Again."

Zuko sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Haven't we already gone over this?"

"I know Azula better than you do. So explain to me how leaving me behind is going to help you track her down?"

"It's too dangerous," Zuko said, his lips turning down in the stubborn little frown that had started to really get on Mai's nerves. "You know she blames you for basically everything bad that happened at the end of the war. I'm not going to let her get her sights on you. Ever. End of discussion." He folded his arms with finality and it was Mai's turn to sigh.

"This just proves that you don't have what it takes to stop her."

His brow lowered, but Zuko had learned enough about politics and debate during his five years as the Fire Lord not to get lured into an argument he knew he couldn't win.

"There's something else I have to tell you," Zuko said, shifting gears and looking slightly uncomfortable. "While I'm away, I asked someone to come help out around the palace."

"You mean, keep an eye on me so I don't go after Azula myself." Mai gave him her sharpest glare. "Who is it this time, your uncle? Ty Lee and an entire squad of Kyoshi Warriors? The Avatar?"

Zuko coughed and muttered a name under his breath.

"Please tell me you did not just say who I think you said."

Before Zuko could confirm or deny, the door to the private chambers opened without so much as a knock.

"There you guys are. I've been looking all over the place and if you didn't know, your palace is _pretty _huge." The intruder sauntered into the room like he owned it, dropping two large travel bags to the floor with an offensive clatter before engaging in undignified stretching exercises. She could hear his shoulders and neck popping from the other side of the room. "Phew, long trip."

Lightning crashed and the sky opened, assailing the Fire Nation capital with much needed, but unwanted, moisture. Mai turned away from the unwelcome guest and tried to murder Zuko with a look. "No."

"It's too late to argue," Zuko whispered out of the corner of his mouth and gave her a meaningful, somewhat pleading look, before turning to his friend with a broad smile. "Sokka, great to see you again. I'm glad you could make it."

"Hey, you know me," Sokka said as the two of them crossed the distance and clasped forearms like brothers on a battlefield. "I'm always happy to help." Their manly greeting was followed with one quick pat on the back that would just barely count as a hug. It was still far too emotional for Mai's taste.

The Water Tribesman stepped away from the Fire Lord and appraised her with a quick, yet decidedly thorough, once over. He broke into an easy grin, showing off a set of teeth that seemed even whiter against his natural tan. "Hey Mai, still pinning people to the walls with knives?"

She flicked her wrist. "If you're asking for a demonstration of my current skills, I'd be more than happy to oblige." The dagger in her fingers glinted as it twirled. Zuko just about choked with surprise at her display of thinly veiled hostility, but Sokka either missed the threat or really felt like pushing his luck.

He laughed. "Good to see some things never change."

Mai scowled and slipped her dagger back into its hidden sheath. It was true that some things didn't change, but in the two years since she'd last seen him, the warrior had done his fair share of it. He seemed taller, broader, and far more confident, in an annoying, cocky kind of way. The goatee on his chin, a permanent feature for many years now and something Mai suspected was his way of asserting his limited masculinity, was full and unusually well-trimmed. The hair on the sides and back of his head was cropped short and neat, and even his ridiculous "wolf tail" seemed to be behaving itself, for once.

Combined with the fashionable cut of his deep purple and blue riding clothes and expensive looking accoutrements, he painted an altogether different picture than Mai recalled from their last encounter.

"You two don't mind if I take a quick bath before dinner, do you?" He held his hands out to the side as though he was filthy and wrinkled his nose. "I smell like ostrich horse."

Mai was too surprised by the admission to even come up with something snarky to say about his usual body odor. Things might have changed more than she thought. Zuko chuckled and helped Sokka carry his bags to his guest quarters and Mai trailed after them, half-listening as the two men caught up.

"Your uncle says hi, by the way," Sokka was saying. "I have to admit, I forgot how intimidating he can be."

Zuko nodded. "Once he's poured you tea, it's hard to remember that he's one of the most powerful, influential and respected men in the world."

"Well, he did a good job reminding me," Sokka said with more than a hint of admiration in his tone. "I'm just glad Master Piandao was there to back me up. It doesn't hurt that I know all the other Grand Masters, either."

"So everything went well?"

"Yup!" Sokka grinned, thumbing himself in the chest proudly. "No more Initiate Sokka. You're looking at the newest full member of the Order of the White Lotus."

Zuko clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Sokka! The Order couldn't ask for a better man."

"That's what Master Piandao said."

It was all a bit too much ego stroking for Mai. "So, you going to sit around playing Pai Sho all day and drinking tea?"

Sokka wasn't offended in the slightest. "I think even you would appreciate the information network the White Lotus has, Mai." He winked, and if that wasn't strange enough, she got the impression that he had something he wanted to tell her, something that he wasn't going to say as long as Zuko was around.

Mai hated to admit it, but she was intrigued.

"Well, here's your guest chambers," Zuko said, leading them into an expansive sitting room decorated in sea blues and marine landscapes. "I know it's nothing like the Water Tribes, but hopefully it'll make you more at home."

Sokka took in the surroundings and nodded his approval. "I guess I can make do without animal pelts and ice," he joked. "But just this once."

"Your private bath chamber is back there," Zuko said, pointing to one of the doors leading off from the sitting room. "I have some business to attend to before dinner, so I'll see you two in a bit." He took Mai's hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles, smiling a reminder at her to play nice.

She rolled her eyes and Zuko departed, leaving the two of them alone.

"So spill it," Mai said, getting right to the point. She folded her arms into her sleeves. "Your cryptic act might have flown over Zuko's head, but I know you've got something to tell me."

"Oh, Mai, Mai. All good things in time." He smirked and dug through one of his bags for a fresh change of clothes before heading for the bath chamber. There was a slight hitch in his movement that Mai hadn't noticed during their short walk together, but it didn't surprise her if he'd been putting on a tough show for the Fire Lord.

Not to be shut down so easily, Mai followed him into the changing room. "What did you learn from the Order? Tell me."

Sokka snorted a laugh and took off his vest, tossing it into a basket for cleaning. "I don't think your boyfriend would appreciate you watching another man undress," he said, blue eyes dancing. "And since I fully intend to take a bath, you're either going to have to swallow your curiosity until I'm finished, or get us both in trouble."

"Oh please," Mai said, leaning against the door frame. "Zuko's harmless."

Sokka shrugged and tugged his shirt out of his belt. "Suit yourself. Just try not to enjoy the show too much." Mai scoffed, but then the warrior went ahead and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing tight, bronzed abs and powerful pectorals. Mai had seen plenty of shirtless guys in her time, and Zuko had one of the best bodies in the Fire Nation, the only trait he'd inherited from his father. But Mai had to admit there was something exotic about Sokka's muscular swordsman shoulders and dark complexion.

It still wasn't hard to feign disinterest. "If you think you're going to distract me with your shirtlessness, think again."

"I'm just pretending you're not even here," he said, and turned to throw his shirt into the laundry basket. He winced and Mai noticed a long line of fresh, angry looking stitches on the back of his ribs. He lifted his arm and pulled his skin around to try and check the injury, muttering under his breath about "pulling another one".

"What happened?" Mai asked, making sure he could hear the total lack of sympathy in her voice.

"Had a little run in," he said, and though there was clearly more to the story, he cut off with a thoughtful scowl. Satisfied that he hadn't reopened the wound, he undid his belt and slid it off. "Last chance to maintain decency, your Ladyship," he teased with a mock bow and when she made no move to leave, he kicked off his boots and dropped his pants.

Mai held up her hand, blocking the lower half of his body from her sight after getting a good view of his loin cloth. "And for a minute, you almost convinced me that you were civilized."

"We can't have that, now can we?" he quipped and pulled off his underwear. He took a wash towel and held it over his privates, regaining a modicum of modesty. "Alright Mai, seriously, I'm going to take a bath now. I'll talk to you after dinner." He turned, giving her a full view of his back side, and shuffled to the bathing room's entrance, favoring his left leg.

Mai lowered her hand. "You're limping."

"You're observant," he stated, pushing the door open. Steam wisped around his naked body.

"You're _sarcastic_."

"_You're_ exhausting." He stepped through and the door drifted closed behind him.

Mai frowned. It was usually her job to be annoyed. It had never occurred to her that someone like Sokka could find her presence draining. In the next room, water splashed and a wooden bucket hit tiled floor with a echoing thump as the warrior cleaned himself. Mai listened as the familiar sounds repeated and waited for something she knew was coming.

"Yeow!"

Silently, she slipped through the door and watched Sokka slowly lower himself back into the soaking pool, past the cut on his back. He hissed at the pain of hot water against the wound.

"I bet you wouldn't like me telling Zuko that you're injured."

Sokka jumped and turned to look at her while reflexively grabbing his small towel and covering himself, though Mai couldn't see that far into the tub.

"How long have you been in here!"

"Not long, but don't try and change the subject."

Sokka ran a dripping hand over his face and stopped to peer at her between his fingers. "You. Are persistent. And also a little creepy."

"You hid your limp from Zuko," she pressed. "You don't want him to know you've been getting into trouble."

"My limp is nothing," he said, waving off her words. "A long day in the saddle and a leg that likes to complain as much as I do. That's all it is." He slid his hands into the water and massaged the offending limb. "Ten minutes in here, I'll be good as new."

"Ten minutes," she said and let him think about it. "That's plenty of time." Sokka exhaled a long sigh and shook his head in surrender but didn't say anything. Mai stared him down until he looked away. "It's news about Azula, isn't it."

He didn't blink, or react in any visible way, but Mai knew she was right. The usual feeling rose up inside her, like a serpent uncoiling. The call to action. Sokka kept up his slow and steady kneading, working out the kinks in his leg, but Mai could tell his focus had drifted elsewhere.

"She's made several attempts on Aang's life," Sokka said, just when Mai was sure she would have to prod him for more information. "We kept them a secret, but…"

"Close calls?"

"Close enough," he said, staring off across the steaming pool. "I can't let her hurt anyone I care about." He turned back and met Mai's gaze, blue eyes filled with an intensity she could relate with. "Word is, she's hired a team of assassins to take you out."

It wasn't surprising, but there was an implication to Sokka's words that her brain had trouble wrapping around. The two of them had never been close, and after certain events in the last few years, Mai wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to set aside their differences long enough to learn to like him, or at least, dislike him a little less.

It didn't help that every other girl she knew was either related to him, had a crush on him or had actually dated him. That alone was reason enough to avoid him. Mai liked to think that her tastes ran deeper than a nice smile and charming personality. Zuko had his demons, and Mai found that more attractive than his perfect Fire Lord body.

Sokka's depth, if he had any, was obscured by a rippling surface of sarcasm and pretense and Mai simply couldn't be bothered trying to figure out what was underneath. And yet, here he was, halfway around the world from his friends and family, ready to spend a few months with no one for company but her and stuffy Fire Nation nobles.

"You came to protect me." Her spoken realization left much to be desired, but she doubted he would pick up on her disappointment.

"No, Mai," he said, and there was an edge of steel in his smile, a hardness she didn't expect. "I'm here to get your help. I usually operate alone, but I figure we've got a better chance of catching these guys if we work together. You're the one they're after. They'll never see me coming."

Mai turned and swept out of the bathing room, feeling his eyes on her back. He'd expected a response, but Mai was tired of talking. Sokka was surprised to see her reappear in the door, but he caught on quick when she threw him a towel. "Let's go."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

His face fell and his boyish demeanor crept out from behind the mask of maturity. "But… Before dinner?"

"We have plots to foil and assassins to defeat and you're complaining about food?"

"I fight better on a full stomach," he grumbled as he stood and smoothly wrapped the towel around his waist. "What about Zuko? Don't you think he'll wonder where we disappeared to?"

"I'll write him a note," she said, smiling darkly. "He'll like that."

"Alright, but here's the deal," he said, stepping out of the steaming water. "We'll follow up on my lead, but we'll try to be back before anyone notices we're gone, okay?"

She lifted her hands. "Whatever you say."

"And I need a snack, just in case we don't make it back." He stopped, and then realizing what he said, laughed nervously and added, "In case we don't make it back before dinner, that is."

Mai arched an eyebrow.

"Assassins." He shrugged and headed past her into the dressing room. "You never know."

"So what can you tell me about them?" Mai faced the wall to give him some privacy.

"They're an elite group of female infiltration experts," he explained, doing his best to fill her in while he dried off and got dressed, "not unlike the Kyoshi Warriors, except that they specialize in high profile assassinations instead." His belt clinked as he drew it tight with the sound of creaking leather. "They operated in both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation during the war, though it's believed they originated here. There may even be a few firebenders in the group."

Mai turned slowly to face him.

"They call themselves," he started, building up for a dramatic finish, but Mai cut him off.

"The Raven Hawks."

He scrunched his eyebrows, looking slightly put out. "You've heard of them."

"They recruited out of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. I had… acquaintances who joined."

He folded his arms across his bare chest and rubbed his goatee. "That's interesting. I'm surprised they didn't try and recruit you."

Mai smirked. "Who says they didn't?"

"Whoa, so wait a minute." He held up his hands. "Azula hired a team of assassins that you _know_, that also tried to induct you but you turned them down?"

"So it would seem."

His face screwed up in thought. "But that's just…"

"Insulting?"

"I was going to say, bad planning, but yes. It doesn't seem like she's taking you very seriously."

"I even know where their headquarters is here in the capital. Or where it used to be, anyway."

Sokka frowned, looking every bit like the shrewd tactician many claimed he was. "You smelling what I'm smelling?"

Mai was about to take a whiff of the air, which she quite expected to smell rather pleasant, but caught herself as she realized what the warrior was implying. "A trap."

"Yeah," he drawled as he grabbed his fresh shirt and headed for the exit, free of his earlier limp. "Too bad the opportunity is too good to pass up."

"Opportunity?"

He stopped next to her, close enough for her to smell a hint of scented soap in his hair, and smiled wolfishly. "The opportunity to beat Azula at her own game."


	2. Part Two

**Author's Notes: **Part Two of my Maikka Week submission. This story fits in the same Time Line or Universe as _The Dragon and the Wolf_ and takes place 1-2 years previously.

**The Raven and the Wolf: Part 2**

"How does an entire roast komodo chicken leg count as a snack?"

"Leeme alone, I'm hun'ry."

Their raid on the kitchen hadn't gone as Mai planned. It was supposed to be a quick, in and out operation, but Sokka had gotten so distracted by the quantity and quality of the food being prepared for the dinner they were likely to miss, he'd taken the time to sample half of it before grabbing a hunk of meat, the size of his head, for the road.

He'd tucked a good half of it away already, and showed no signs of stopping as they snuck out one of the secret tunnels Mai and Zuko used to escape the palace without being seen.

"It's like they starve you or something," Mai continued, doing her best to ignore the annoying sound of his open mouthed chewing.

"They who?"

"I don't know. Your handlers or owners or girlfriends or whatever. The people who usually take care of you."

He sputtered, choking on a bite, and Mai was forced to stop while he coughed and gagged. She gave him two ineffectual pats on the back.

"Nobody _takes care_ of me!" he finally managed, eyes watering from his coughing fit. "You make it sound like I'm a pet polar bear dog, or something."

"Huh."

He leaned toward her, cocking his head with an air of challenge. "Huh, what?"

"Well, I just assumed," she said, her level voice a contrast to his rising tone.

"You _assumed_ wrong." He straightened up and folded his arms, sticking the leg of komodo chicken out to the side. "I'm the guy who takes care of everybody else. Katara and Aang and Toph can barely manage without me." He jutted his meat greased chin in smug defiance. Mai figured he wouldn't appreciate laughter, and she wasn't one for outbursts anyway, but the idea of Sokka taking care of himself, much less others, filled her with what she could only describe as amusement.

Tactfully, she changed the subject as she walked to the end of the passage. "The Raven Hawks' secret hideout is in the sewers."

"You Fire Nation people just love your hidden underground bases and secret passageways, don'tcha?" He watched her while she ran her hand along the wall, searching for the lever that would open their path to the outside. The door slid away into the wall and Mai spared Sokka a disinterested look before pulling up the hood of her dark maroon cloak and slipping out into the rain. He scrambled after her, shielding his oversized snack from the downpour with his own dark cloak.

"We have a choice," Mai said, setting a brisk pace and forcing the warrior to jog to catch up.

"Mmmhmph?" His mouth was full and she hadn't really expected him to be able to eat, jog, and talk at the same time. Thinking was probably out of the question.

"It's not far from here. Do we approach from the streets or the sewers?"

He chewed it over, along with another mouthful of meat, and when he swallowed he stashed the remainder away in his travel satchel, much to Mai's disgust, and met her measured stride as they stepped out into the public thoroughfare. In many ways, they were lucky it was raining. Everyone on the street was similarly cloaked, identities concealed, rushing about their own business in an attempt to get somewhere dry. There were enough people in the Fire Nation capital who might recognize the famous war hero, and together with the Fire Lord's consort they would have had trouble being inconspicuous.

"We should head across town and then double back through the sewers, just to be safe."

Mai was glad her cloak and the rain hid her look of displeasure. Under normal circumstances, too much filth was reason enough to call off a plan or attack. Excitement was one thing, but spending hours cleaning slurry or sludge or who knew what else out of your hair and clothes was another.

But this wasn't some pointless mission and Mai wasn't about to let the warrior see her hesitate.

"Sounds prudent."

"Most of it is common sense," he said, and by _it_, Mai knew he was referring to the clandestine life.

"You don't need to explain it to me. I know more about _cloaks and daggers_ than Azula knows about world domination."

He turned his head, and she could just make out one corner of his mouth, turned up in a smirk. "I know."

She didn't like his smug look or the easy agreement and she knew the perfect topic to throw him off. "So what does your family think about your… activities?"

He snorted. "Katara has no idea what I get up to when I'm away, and I can't tell my father or he'd turn around and tell her everything. I haven't really let Aang or Toph in on the details, either." He lifted his shoulders in an abbreviated shrug. "It's not that I want to keep secrets from them," he said, mood darkening. "It's just that they're better off not knowing most of it."

"Let them focus on spreading peace," Mai said, knowing exactly what he meant and finding it only a little annoying that they were in agreement again. "While you take care of the dirty work."

He pulled his hood forward against the rain, burying his face in shadow. "I'd shield them from it all, if I could."

The rest of their long walk across the city passed in silence. Mai almost wished he would talk again, just to distract her from the moisture seeping through her cloak and splashing up from the road as they made their way. She was bored and as much as she would never admit it, he made an above average verbal sparring partner.

It was a refreshing change from running circles around Zuko.

When he stopped outside a curio shop and opened the door for her to enter, Mai was too glad to be out of the rain to wonder what they were doing there or what exactly a "curio" might be, though she suspected her parents had some lying around somewhere. Once inside, looking around at all the junk, she was less sure about things.

"Welcome!" the shopkeeper greeted with the typical politeness one could expect in the capital. Sokka stepped around Mai, lowering his hood, and the shopkeeper's demeanor shifted, ever so slightly. It was enough for Mai to figure out that the man somehow knew Sokka, though she doubted a casual observer would have noticed the change.

"I hear you have an extensive collection of Pai Sho tables," Sokka said, his tone conversational, and the shopkeeper broke into a grin.

"Only the finest selection outside of Ba Sing Se, herself."

"Would you mind if my sister and I take a look?"

Mai blinked but managed to keep her mouth shut. Sister? The idea was beyond absurd and anyone watching would have no trouble spotting the falsehood. She pulled her cloak around her even though the store was empty and ignored the slight scrutiny from the shopkeeper.

"Right this way," the shopkeeper said after somehow satisfying himself about her identity or threat level. He lead them to a back room stocked with more than a few Pai Sho tables, about half of which were set up for playing. Once inside, he cast a cautious glance toward the front room before closing the door and turning to Sokka. "Welcome, brother." He saluted, fist to palm, and Sokka returned the gesture. "It is an honor to assist our newest member."

"We require passage," Sokka said, and the man didn't hesitate. He threw back an ornate rug to reveal a trapdoor and pulled it open for the two of them. Mai could have done without the smell that wafted from the ominous opening.

"Will you require anything else?"

Sokka shook his head and saluted the man a second time. "Thank you, brother."

"May wisdom guide your steps," the man replied and Sokka took Mai's hand, leading her down into the dark. She would have extricated herself from his unpleasantly moist grasp, but the shopkeeper closed the trapdoor behind them, cutting off the light.

"Why didn't we bring a lantern?" she whispered into the nothingness.

"Wisdom guides my steps," he teased, tightening his hold and urging her forward. "Just trust me, I know the way."

"I'd trade trust and wisdom for a candle," she muttered as she allowed him to guide her. "Or a firebender. Zuko makes an excellent torch."

He snickered. "So you're saying he really _lights up your life_?"

Mai let his joke hang, and her silence tied the noose. Sokka cleared his throat awkwardly and they walked on in the dark for what felt to Mai like hours, though it was probably a trick of the quiet and the blackness and the constant fear that she was about to trip or fall or run into a wall or otherwise embarrass herself.

"You can loosen up a little," he said, and it was only then that she realized she had his hand in a death grip. "My fingers are going numb."

"Sorry. I guess I'm just not used to the dark."

"Didn't expect it to bother someone like you." He was smiling, she could tell.

"Someone _like me_?"

He seemed to take her rising inflection with the proper amount of trepidation. It had taken Zuko years to catch on to her warning signs. "Uh, yeah. Just. I figure you're not afraid of anything."

Mai was saved from having to come up with a proper reply when Sokka came to a stop and let go of her hand.

"Hey…"

"Relax, we're here," he said and after a few grunts and the sound of grating metal, they stepped into the actual sewer and out of the White Lotus' secret path of darkness and stupidity.

The smell was just about what she expected, one step from noxious, but at least there were grates in the street above that allowed muted light and some fresh air to filter in. Rain funneled down into the rushing flow of sewage between raised stone walkways and Mai did her best to stay as close to the curved walls as possible to avoid any spray. She was happy to see Sokka plugging his own nose and looking disgusted.

"For all the time I've spent in sewers," he said, voice pinched, "you'd think I'd be used to the smell by now." He pulled out a dark cloth and tired it around his head, covering his mouth and his nose. Just as Mai was about to protest the obvious unfairness of him having a way to block some of the horrendous odor, he handed her another cloth. "So I'll lead us back toward the palace district and you can take over whenever you get your bearings."

She nodded, unwilling to open her mouth even with the protective covering that smelled vaguely of komodo chicken, and followed him as he led them back across the city from their new, and much smellier, perspective. The closer they got to the center of the city, the cleaner the air smelled and that was a big relief to Mai. She thought about asking Sokka how he knew where he was going, but then decided she really didn't want to know about his underground adventures. He was right, there were some parts of his life that were better off left a mystery.

Next time he stopped by for a visit, she'd be sure to wash her hands after any accidental contact, just to be safe.

Mai was wishing for soap and a hot bath and maybe a massage from the royal masseur when they turned into a larger tunnel and she was struck with a feeling that she'd been there before. "This is it. I recognize this tunnel."

He stopped and looked back at her, blue eyes questioning. "You got it from here?"

She walked past and left him to figure out the answer to his unnecessary question. He followed her into a side passageway, blissfully free from the river of filth in the main tunnel. The stone hallway was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side with room to spare. Sokka pushed his cloak over his left shoulder, freeing a path for the famous sword at his hip.

He wrapped his fingers around the top of the sheath, making sure the blade was loose and ready to draw at a moment's notice. "Well, just be careful," he whispered, "if we're in their territory already they might be-"

Something struck the wall not a foot away from Mai's head. A second and third flash of steel whipped toward Sokka, but in a move smoother than Mai thought he was capable of, he drew his black bladed sword and sliced the projectiles in two.

"Waiting for us," Sokka finished his thought as though he hadn't been interrupted by the attack. "So much for the element of surprise."

More spinning projectiles flew out of the shadows and Mai slid out of her cloak, swiping the heavy fabric across their path and knocking them aside. "You mean I walked all that way for nothing?"

"Looks like it." He stepped in front of her and kept walking, deflecting one ranged attack after another with no apparent effort on his part. It was kind of annoying how good he was. Mai tried not to sympathize with their attackers while she took cover behind him. "Come on out ladies, we just want to talk!"

The recurring sound of metal pinging against metal stopped and Sokka slid into a casual defensive stance. Mai prepared to use Sokka's bluff to full advantage and when a dark shape stepped out from a side passage, Mai took aim and launched an attack of her own.

Her daggers struck true, pinning the shadowy person to the wall before she could even cry out in surprise.

"Whoa! Hey! Whoa!" Sokka spun around and gave Mai a look of pure disbelief, his words coming out in a rush. "What are you doing, I said I wanted to talk to them!"

"I thought that was a- Watch out!"

Mai wasn't sure how it was possible, but the hallway suddenly filled with more spinning and flying projectiles than any group of people should have conceivably been able to throw at one time. The Raven Hawks had either booby trapped the passage with spring loaded firing mechanisms, or spent a lot of time practicing the maneuver.

Sokka was fast, but nobody was fast enough to turn around, register the danger, and react in time. Except perhaps for Mai herself. She didn't waste time thinking, she just dashed forward and slid, feet first, lashing out with her legs and connecting solidly with Sokka's shins.

He yelped and buckled, and naturally, he had no where to go but directly down on top of her as the projectiles passed harmlessly overhead. He caught himself on his elbows and kept his sword from cutting either of them or his weight from crushing the air from Mai's lungs. He was still rather heavy. And something hard was poking her in the leg.

"That better be your boomerang."

His face, inches from her own, was screwed up in exaggerated and somewhat comical pain. Not that Mai found pain funny.

"I can't believe you just did that," he wheezed.

"What? Saved your life?"

"Kicked me. In the leg. On purpose."

She was going to ask why that made a difference, and would he have preferred she kick him somewhere _else_ when she recalled something about a limp and an old war wound and injuries apparently not always healing like they're supposed to, especially when subjected to repeated trauma.

"Um. Sorry?"

"It's fine," he lied, and then somehow scooped her up to her feet and away from the spring loaded doom priming for a second shot. They ran back into the larger tunnel and were greeted with a flurry of spinning steel.

"How many Raven Hawks _are _there?" He asked as he skidded to a halt and changed direction, heading up the tunnel away from the new attackers.

"Does it matter?" she replied, taking the time to toss a few daggers as she ran. "Why are we running, anyway?"

Shadows dropped down from the ceiling ahead of them and Sokka took Mai's hand, dragging her into a broad side passage. "We're running because this wasn't part of my plan."

"You had a plan?"

"They don't call me Plan Guy for nothing."

Watching their backs, Mai almost ran headfirst into Sokka's shoulder when he stopped running and coasted to a limping halt. For a moment, Mai thought his leg had given out on him and she had to suffer a pang of guilt for kicking him, but then she noticed the wall of shadowy shapes blocking their path. A quick glance behind and Mai saw exactly what she expected, a second group of Raven Hawks closing in.

"Maybe they should start calling you Impulsive Guy," she mumbled, and he actually took his eyes off their opponents long enough to give her another one of his expressive looks where his eyebrows did all the talking.

"Oh no, this is entirely your fault, Miss Shoot First Ask Questions Never. I _knew _we should have waited until after dinner. I plan better on a full stomach."

"Now you're just making excuses."

"If you two are quite done bickering, perhaps we can get down to business?" One of the Raven Hawks stepped forward from the main group and pulled off her black, form fitting mask, shaking her short, functional hair free. Heavy black makeup around her eyes served the dual purpose of helping her blend into the shadows with her masks on and helping her look really depressing and mean with her mask off.

Mai recognized her immediately from their Academy days together. "Hey, Ju Lai. How's… life?"

"Getting better, Mai. Not that you actually care."

"You have a point."

"I have several." She held up her hands, showing off gauntlets with talon-like blades attached to each fingertip. They were nice. Mai considered adding them to her collection after the inevitable fight was over. "I also have both of you as my prisoners."

"Sorry, I don't do the whole prisoner thing," Mai informed her. "You'll just have to kill us."

Sokka cleared his throat and leaned his way into their death glare contest. "Maybe we can come to a different arrangement?"

Ju Lai didn't take her eyes off Mai. "Unless you're going to beg for your life for my amusement, I don't see what we have to discuss. I won. You're surrounded and outnumbered."

"But you're outsmarted and outmatched." Sokka grinned. "I don't think you'll be continuing your ranged assault now that you might hit each other on accident, and you can't take me toe to toe."

Mai flashed a handful of daggers. "Clustered like that, I'd have a harder time missing you guys right now."

Ju Lai seemed to consider their threats. "So what do you propose? We cancel our contract and walk away? Not going to happen."

"I'm sure it was different back at the Academy," Sokka began, "But these days, earning Azula's approval won't help you move up in the world."

Ju Lai's eyes flashed and she trained her intense stare on Sokka, looking every bit like a raven hawk spotting prey. "What do you know about anything?"

"A lot, actually," Sokka said, laying his ego out for the world to see. "About pretty much everything."

Ju Lai turned back to Mai. "And you're putting up with this guy because…?"

"I'm not sure, exactly," Mai replied. "But he has his uses."

"Don't forget my charming good looks."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"Azula promised us a place in the new world she's going to create," Ju Lai said, clinging to her one chance at making something of herself after years of coming in second place to Mai, and third place if you counted Ty Lee.

"Open your eyes," Sokka said. "Azula's not going to win. The best thing you can do for yourselves right now is align with the people who have proven time and again that they have what it takes to get the job done." His words, impassioned as they were, actually seemed like they might have an effect on the disillusioned assassin. But then he took it too far, holding out his hand in a flourish as though he were introducing royalty, and in a way he was. "People like Mai."

Ju Lai's face hardened. "No, I don't think so. It's too late for that." The assassin lifted her hand, but before she could do whatever she was going to do, Mai aimed and threw two daggers with pinpoint accuracy. The wounds weren't serious, but Ju Lai wouldn't be attacking anyone with a dagger buried in each shoulder. The assassin screeched and turned to one of her followers standing by the wall. "Do it!"

Mai took the opportunity to launch an all out assault, throwing daggers and needle sharp stiletto's in rapid fire. Pandemonium broke out as some assassins went down and others dove for nonexistent cover in the open passage. Sokka, for his part, seemed far more concerned with the one Raven Hawk by the wall, with her hand on some kind of lever. He launched his ridiculously unfair returning weapon but he wasn't fast enough.

Something clicked and Sokka spun around to face her. "Mai!"

Caught up in her attack, and far more interested in doing as much damage as possible before the Raven Hawks figured out how to use their numbers to advantage, Mai was perfectly content to ignore the warrior. Until he came barreling straight into her, anyway. This time, he managed to knock the air from her lungs as he quite literally, swept her off her feet. Mai wasn't sure why women found that kind of thing romantic.

And then the floor dropped away beneath them.

Sokka used his last bit of footing to launch the two of them in a running leap toward what Mai hoped was safety. Half over his shoulder, like she was, she had no idea how far it was to the edge of the pitfall, but looking back at the far side, it wasn't hard to imagine that they weren't going to make it.

It explained why the Raven Hawks hadn't closed in to finish the job.

When they slipped below the floor level, Mai accepted her fate. She had always known that her activities might lead to a gruesome end, so there really wasn't any reason to get worked up over it. Though she did feel bad about dragging Sokka down with her.

He twisted in the air, and Mai got a view of a rusty, riveted iron wall rushing toward them a moment before they impacted. Sokka was ready for it. He'd shifted her out of harm's way and had his sword poised to bite into the metal. The meteor blade struck a moment before Sokka's body slammed into the wall, but it wasn't enough to halt their downward momentum.

Mai appreciated a sharp edge more than the next girl, but she also understood that there were limits to how sharp a weapon could and should be. Sokka apparently had ignored and bypassed those limitations while forging his sword. The otherworldly blade slid through the thick iron as they slipped deeper into the dark pit, and just when they started to slow down, the blade wedged itself in a series of pipes running along the wall. The sudden resistance ripped the sword from Sokka's hand.

They fell.

Mai didn't have time to register much more than the feel of Sokka's muscular arms around her or the way he positioned his body to take the brunt of the damage before their downward journey ended. Noise and pain and sharp jolts and grunts and crunches and dizzying twists rolled into one brief, unpleasant moment. And then it was over, and Mai was on her back, staring up at the sewer passage far above her.

Masked faces peered down into the pit and Mai jumped to her feet without bothering to check if she was okay and tossed a few of her most accurate daggers at her foes. Gravity worked against her and they pinged against the walls just at the edge of the iron trap, falling back down to the rock strewn and grime encrusted floor of her new home.

Most of the Raven Hawks didn't stick around to see if Mai's second shot would be more accurate, but Ju Lai remained, sneering down at her. "It's just the kind of fate you deserve, Mai. You fought and clawed your way to the top, and now you get to die alone in the bowels of a filthy sewer."

Mai clenched her fists at her sides and projected every ounce of strength and determination back at her former classmate. "You know why Azula never picked you?"

Ju Lai frowned, unable to hide her curiosity. "Why's that?"

"Because you're an idiot. You're wrong about so many things right now, its not worth my time to try and correct you."

The Raven Hawk stared back at her for a long moment and then turned away, disappearing from view as her voice drifted down. "Goodbye, Mai…"

"You'll be seeing me again, soon enough," Mai promised, but whether her threat carried all the way out of the iron prison, she neither knew nor cared. Ju Lai really was an idiot. For one thing, Mai _wasn't _alone. She had a highly capable Water Tribe warrior and White Lotus operative at her side. No hole on the planet could hold them for long.

It was then that Mai realized Sokka wasn't at her side, and hadn't said a word since their fall.

"Oh no."

Mai had been through a lot of frightening times in her life that had never really bothered her, so the fear that suddenly uncorked in her gut and rushed through her was a new experience. Never had she been so concerned for the wellbeing of another, not even when she'd risked everything to save Zuko's life during his escape from the Boiling Rock. But then, Zuko hadn't been in any real danger with Mai there to protect him, and Zuko hadn't spent an entire afternoon risking life and limb to keep her safe.

She turned, slowly scanning the ground, afraid of what she might see, and when her eyes met the sight of Sokka sprawled out among the rubble on the iron floor, her breath caught and her heart jumped in her chest. Practicality returned a split second later and she went to him, kneeling down at his side to check for signs of life. He was breathing, but unconscious, with no visible injuries. First aid wasn't exactly her specialty, but common sense was one of her greatest assets. Falling could break bones, necks and backs if you were unlucky, and Mai had never met someone with worse luck than the warrior. If you didn't count Zuko.

Expecting the worst and unsure of what to do about it, she carefully leaned over him and touched the sides of his face, holding him still. "Hey, Sokka," she said, voice soft and remarkably steady. "Wake up." When he didn't stir, she continued, "You missed dinner."

He swallowed and groaned as his eyelids fluttered open, unevenly. His unfocused gaze passed over her face and floated aimlessly, like he was looking for something or someone who wasn't there.

"Hey," she said again. "How do you feel?"

He finally looked at her and she saw recognition dawn in his eyes, followed by confusion. "Mai?"

"Um, yes." His attention wandered and she felt him tense to try and sit up. "Don't move," she said, preparing to hold him down if necessary. "You're hurt."

"My head," he groaned, and closed one eye against the pain and dizziness he was no doubt experiencing. "What happened?"

"You kind of fell."

He looked past her again, taking in their surroundings as though for the first time. He scrunched his eyebrows, opened his mouth, closed it and then found his words. "I can't remember."

"Consider yourself fortunate, then."

His hands found their way up to grip her arms, looking for more reassurance than Mai knew how to give. "Why are we in the sewers?"

"Wow, you really can't remember anything, huh? Does your neck feel broken?" He tried to shake his head but Mai stopped him. "How about your back? Can you wiggle your toes?"

"I need to sit up," he blurted.

"That's a bad idea," she said, but when his gut clenched and his eyes widened, she had just enough time to remove his black facemask and roll him onto his side before he vomited. "Wonderful." She averted her eyes and didn't keep track of how many times he emptied his stomach before he was finished, instead pretending she was somewhere far away where the smell and the sound couldn't reach her. "See, this is why you don't eat before going out on a mission."

"We were on a mission?"

"Why else would we be down here?"

He was silent for a long moment and she thought he might be considering another round of projectile vomiting. "Could you be… a little less you right now?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said, turning to look at him, and that's when she noticed the bleeding gash matting down the hair on the back of his head and the pool of slick blood on the rock beneath him. "Hm. That's not good."

"What?" He reached up and touched the wound, fingers coming away coated in red. "Aw, man."

Mai used a dagger to strip away the cleanest parts of one sleeve. "I'll have you plugged up in no time."

He chuckled weakly and lowered his hand to the ground. "You make me sound… like a leaky… bucket…"

"Don't you dare pass out again," Mai said, but by the time she had his head wrapped tight, he'd faded. "Great." She sighed and glared up at their escape which seemed to be getting further and further away. Something rattled through the walls and a feeling of dread settled over Mai, worse even than the feeling she got while staring down Azula during their first and final confrontation. A moment later, rainwater started pouring from pipes jutting into the iron trap and down from the sewer above.

Apparently Ju Lai was a little bit more devious than Mai thought.

"Just. Great."

* * *

**A/N2: **Third part is finished. Review if you want to read it. :)


	3. Part Three

**Author's Notes: **Part Three of my Maikka Week submission. This story fits in the same Time Line or Universe as _The Dragon and the Wolf_ and takes place 1-2 years previously. Thanks to those who requested I finish uploading. :)

**The Raven and the Wolf: Part Three**

Mai was not happy.

Her clothes were drenched, her hair hung limp around her face, and water had long since soaked all the way through her good leather boots and was now squelching between her toes with every irritated step through her slowly flooding prison.

There had to be _something_ useful, some forgotten item or hidden lever that would stop the pouring water or maybe even a secret passage to get them out. Mai refused to believe that a deathtrap had been built below the palace district without anyone complaining about it. But then again the former Fire Lords, unlike Zuko, weren't all about love and rainbows.

She sighed. Again. And glared up at the opening far above her. Odds were good that the Raven Hawks had posted sentries to watch for any escape attempts. It wouldn't be a problem if she could only find a way up there to deal with them, and then find a way to haul Sokka out before he drowned.

Sokka.

She cast a glace over at his prone form and tried not to feel bad about the fact that he had sacrificed himself to protect her. It wasn't like she had asked him to do so. In fact, from where she was standing it seemed like he'd gotten the better deal. How hard could it be to lie there and bleed while she was stuck trying to solve the impossible, lethal puzzle with nothing but her wits and her knives?

She kicked at the ankle-deep water, just to let out a little steam, and the rippling wave drew her attention to something wedged between some rocks. For a moment, her predicament seemed to fade away to be replaced by curiosity and a sudden, burning desire. She picked up the tool and wiped it clean on her pants, holding it up for inspection.

There was nothing remarkable about it. It was lighter than she'd expected, cracked and scraped, but otherwise well cared for. His hand had worn grooves in the handle that were too spaced apart to really fit her grip, but she didn't mind. It just showed how much he loved and used the weapon. An odd concept for Mai, considering she rarely retrieved her daggers, darts, or knives after using them in battle.

The shape was unique, to be sure, but Mai couldn't figure out exactly what caused the projectile to return when thrown. There had to be a trick to the technique. Casting another glance over her shoulder, she made sure Sokka was still unconscious before taking her stance and looking for an appropriate target for her first attempt.

Sokka's other beloved weapon was wedged halfway up the wall. Mai took aim and tried to hold the angled projectile like she'd seen him do. She threw with all her experience and training.

Apparently, everything she knew was wrong.

Boomerang spun off course and noisily struck another wall before ricocheting off and falling to the ground with a clatter. Mai flinched and turned back to Sokka, feeling guilty. He was still out cold, and she sloshed over to where the projectile had fallen, picked it up, cleaned it off, and reappraised the weapon.

"So you're going to be difficult, hey?" she muttered. Of course there was some stupid trick to it. She really hadn't expected anything less from Sokka and his toys. Taking the previous flight path into consideration, Mai realigned her aim and adjusted her grip.

Her second throw was even worse.

The weapon shot straight up into the air and while Mai was busy being annoyed, she forgot to take in to consideration the fundamentals of gravity. Quick reflexes saved her from her very own debilitating head injury.

"What… are you doing…?"

Mai winced, mentally kicked herself, and schooled her expression back to one of casual boredom before turning to her not-so-unconscious companion. She'd made him a nice pillow out of her bundled cloak and he was propped up enough to see her without moving his head. He watched her through half-lidded eyes and she couldn't tell if he was really aware or not, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and treat him like he wasn't brain damaged.

She lifted her shoulders in the tiniest shrug. "I was practicing."

"Your technique's all wrong," he drawled.

She scowled. "You think I didn't notice?"

He started to grin and then stopped, closing his eyes and groaning instead. When he opened them again, his gaze was unfocused and roaming, and she regretted passing up a moment of lucidity with a pointless argument. She sighed and picked up Boomerang before trudging over and crouching beside him, doing her best to avoid getting any wetter than she already was.

"How's your head?"

He winced and put a hand to his bandaged forehead, probing for injury. "Hurts… What happened?"

She exhaled another sigh and slid the warrior's weapon back into the sheath at his side. "Not this again." He blinked at her, hazy and disoriented, and she shook her head and fought the urge to take pity on him. "What happened is, you were an idiot."

"What'd I do?" The glazed, wide-eyed look he gave her was so earnest and endearing, she couldn't help but soften.

"You saved my life…"

"How silly of me…" He managed a slow smile. "But sounds like… something I would do."

"Yeah well, don't feel too smug about it. You hit your head pretty bad." She paused. "And you might be paralyzed, but we'll worry about that later."

He chuckled, whether unconcerned or simply delirious, she wasn't sure. His hand found its way into her own, and for once she didn't mind the contact. Even if he was cold and wet. "But you're okay?"

"I'm great," she deadpanned. "Minus the fact that we're trapped in a huge iron tank that's slowly filling with water and we have no way to escape."

"Oh good," he said with just a hint of his usual humor before patting his legs. "I thought I wet myself…"

"Soggy bottoms are the least of our concerns," she said, but couldn't help feeling that maybe that wasn't true. It would have been a lot easier to plan if she wasn't so waterlogged and miserable, and Sokka would have been a lot better off somewhere warm and dry and clean.

And now that she thought about it, she was pretty hungry, too. Dinner back at the palace had probably been canceled, and Zuko was either moping around his chambers or out looking for them. She had made sure her note was vague enough to drive him crazy, though in hindsight, it might have been better to tell him where they were going.

A rescue would have been nice, but mostly she regretted missing what had been shaping up to be quite the feast. There might have even been fruit tarts for dessert. Her stomach chose that moment to give an unladylike gurgle.

Sokka grinned and tried to look around without moving his head, padding down his chest with slow, clumsy movements. "Hey, where's m' bag? There's sum komodochicken… You can have."

She gave him a blank stare. "You forget everything else, but remember the hunk of meat you shoved in your pack?"

"It'was tasty," he continued, not really listening to her. "And 'm kinda hungry too… for some reason." Mai tried to ignore the telltale chunks still floating around them and chose, out of the kindness of her heart, not to fill him in the details of his empty stomach.

Before he hurt himself searching, she reached over and retrieved his pack from its mostly dry resting place atop a large rock. "Here."

"Nuh uh," he slurred, holding up his hands. "Ladies first."

It was a true testament to the direness of their situation that Mai actually stuck her hand inside the bag, hoping to find a half-eaten leg of meat. When her fingers brushed against the greasy skin, she tried and failed to repress a shudder.

Sokka grinned stupidly. "Ah, c'mon. S'good."

Mai withdrew her hand. "I changed my mind. We'll probably be swimming soon and you're not supposed to do that on a full stomach. Or so my mother always said."

Sokka blinked at her and she saw the battered wheels in his head grind to a complete halt. "We're goin'… swimmin?"

"Well," Mai began and met his blank, fuzzy look. "You have no idea what's going on right now, do you?"

He reached up with both hands and touched his face, probing around with uncoordinated fingers. "M'head feels really big… Does't look really big?"

"It's huge." She took his wrists and lowered them while he stared back at her, mystified. It wasn't even fun teasing him anymore. "It's always big."

His gaze drifted and he lowered his brow in confusion. "Are we in the sewers…?"

"Yes," Mai said, trying and failing to be patient. "Listen, I know your head hurts, but you really need to try and focus and figure a way out of here before we die."

He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. "My head hurts…"

"I just said that. You need to concentrate."

His eyes snapped open and he glared, snarling with sudden, out of the blue, animal ferocity. "I'm trying! Just! With the! Shut your! Gah!" He growled and slammed a fist in the water, splashing both of them.

"_Okay _then," Mai said, scooting away as he slammed his fist a second time in frustration. His brain was obviously not functioning properly, and she didn't want to rile him up any further. "How about you just relax, instead? No thinking. Everything's fine."

He clenched his jaw, nostrils flaring as he exhaled, and shook his head a fraction of a fraction. She could see him struggling to break through his own confusion, but there was something else in his expression, something pleading, that seemed to be calling out to her. When he held up his hand a third time, she took it with both of hers and tried to rub some warmth back into his icy fingers.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay. I'm right here. I'm with you. Whatever you need, I'll do it. We'll figure this out together."

Gratitude was written on his face but she could see he was having trouble putting it into words, like the effort of talking would undo any measure of control he had. If her choice was between a talkative, forgetful, stupid Sokka and a mute, intelligent, determined Sokka with anger management issues, it really wasn't a hard decision to make.

"What should I do?"

His hand slipped from hers, down her wrist, and wrapped around her concealed dagger sheath.

"My daggers?" she asked, and he blinked an affirmative. "What do you want me to do with them?" She slid one free and tried to give it to him but he held up two fingers. "Two daggers?" He twitched a nod and when she slipped the second blade free, he took them in his fists and held up his hands, miming one stab, then another, higher than the first. He repeated the motion a few times and questioned her with a look as he put the daggers back into her hands.

"You want me to use my daggers," she said, and then looked toward the nearest wall. "To climb out?" It wasn't an impossible idea, though it would certainly be a challenge and didn't really solve all their problems.

He blinked a yes, one corner of his lips turning up wryly as he reached out and squeezed her upper arm, testing the muscle, joking and poking fun without a word.

"Oh, I'm strong enough, believe me," Mai replied, giving him a smirk of her own. "But what about you? I can't just leave you here."

He projected confidence and shook his head, smiling, but there was doubt in his blue eyes despite how hard he tried to cover it. He spread his hands over the rising water and lifted them away, stopping incrementally to indicate passing time and water level. Somehow he'd already calculated how long it would take for the water to cover his face, but Mai didn't want to take any chances.

"I'm going to move you," she said. "You can sit against this rock and that will buy us both more time." She patted the small boulder his bag was still lying on. He didn't like the idea but conceded after a few moments, untying his cloak and tossing the edges back. Effectively, he was lying on a very basic stretcher. "Good idea," she said, and gathered the corners and hood as she stood up. "Sorry if this hurts."

She started to pull, doing her best not to disturb him too much as he slid along the flooded ground. There was almost enough water to float him, but Mai tried not to think about that as she did her best to shift him around toward the rock. His legs were slow to follow his upper body and he sucked in a breath as the angle tweaked his back.

"I did apologize," she reminded him as she crouched down before him. "I'm going to help you sit up, but if it hurts too bad or feels wrong, you let me know right away, okay?"

He nodded and she leaned in to him, sliding her hands under his arms and cradling the back of his head, careful to avoid his bandaged gash. He wrapped his arms around her, nearly crushing her to him, and she could feel his heart racing in his chest.

"Alright, steady." She sat him up and scooted him against the rock, and though he gasped, he didn't seem to be in any unexpected pain. She bundled her cloak behind his head again and tried to make him comfortable, though it was an exercise in futility. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He exhaled a few shaky breaths and looked at her, trying to be tough and reassuring with lips turning blue from the cold and skin paled from blood loss. Mai was a big fan of irony, but he was taking it a bit far for her tastes.

"Look," she said, sitting back on her heels. Their life or death situation could wait while she clarified a few things for him. "I know this might be hard for you to understand, especially with your limited brain function right now, but you don't have to pretend to be anything you're not when you're with me." He met her gaze and she could almost see his thoughts swirling with understanding. "If you were just yourself all the time, it would be a lot harder for me to dislike you."

His chest shook with silent laughter and she patted him on the shoulder. He smiled and she smiled back, and for a few heartbeats, nothing else really mattered. It might have been the stress of impending doom or their imminent separation, but for some reason, Sokka reached up and brushed a wet strand of hair from her face and Mai found she didn't mind the gesture, even when his cold fingers remained there, touching her cheek.

She cleared her throat lightly and he lowered his hand, looking about as pleased with himself as a concussed warrior could be.

"I have to go," she whispered, her words almost lost to the sound of falling water. "I'll be back for you, so just hold on." She got to her feet and his eyes followed her, watching her every move like he knew he'd never see her again. "Don't do anything stupid," she said, putting as much forcefulness as she could into her words since pure encouragement wasn't really her style. "That means _no _dying."

"No dying," he said, making one parting attempt at speech. "Got it…"

"I'm very serious about this."

"I can tell…"

"I don't recommend disappointing me."

He grinned like a tragic hero. "Just give me my sack o' meat, and I'll be fine, woman."

She almost laughed. The sound ended somewhere in the top of her throat, but that was further than usual and Sokka seemed to know it.

She handed him his bag. "You'll be out of here eating a warm meal before you know it, so don't ruin your appetite." And then because she couldn't handle meeting his gaze any longer, she turned and headed for the wall, pulling her two sturdiest daggers as she went.

He was watching her, she knew, so she did her best to show off. Ty Lee hadn't been the only acrobatic one in their group and Azula couldn't claim all the strength. The steel of her blades found cracks and weakness where she could, and punched holes when the metal was a solid sheet of resistance. It didn't take her long to find a rhythm, and even the burn in her arms felt good after all the cold.

She had chosen a very specific path, and before she knew it, she drew level with a line of pipes running along the wall. Tucking one dagger in her mouth, she reached up and wrapped her hand around the leather handle of Sokka's sword, giving it a good shake to try and dislodge it. He'd be thrilled that she retrieved it, she knew, and couldn't help but cast a smug glance back over her shoulder, though she knew it was better not to look down from precarious heights.

Sokka wasn't watching her.

She'd left him propped up but he was slipping, his face sliding closer to the rising water. He'd either passed out again or fallen asleep or… The dagger dropped from her mouth, but Mai barely noticed. "Sokka?"

He stirred, opening his blue eyes and lifting them to her, the effort seeming to sap his remaining strength. He tried to smile and even gave her a half-hearted thumbs up, and Mai knew in that moment, if she left, even if she returned as quickly as possible with help, she would never see him alive again. She'd never see him smile or hear him joke or watch him do something stupid. Ever. Again. And then she realized that beyond it being a bad thing in general and awkward to explain to everyone, the more pressing concern was that she would actually miss him. A lot.

He could be loud and obnoxious, yes, uncivilized and socially clueless, to be sure, but he was fun and intelligent and shared her love of weapons and excitement and even had the same dark, realistic outlook on life. Now that she thought about it, she had more in common with the doomed warrior than her own boyfriend.

Mai knew how to be decisive and with the meteor blade in hand, the trip back down was a simple matter of a short freefall and a repeat performance of Sokka's slowing technique. She stabbed Space Sword into the wall and reveled in the feel of the blade screeching through metal and stone and earth. It was exhilarating.

She touched down and drew the sword from the iron with a flourish before sloshing the short distance back to the fallen warrior. He was confused, but for the first time since his fall, it wasn't from his head injury.

"Mai, what are you doing?"

"I'm saving your life. You can thank me later." And then without wasting any more time, she jammed his sword into the ground and reached out, grabbing a handful of his tunic and sliding his arm over her shoulder.

His eyes nearly popped from their sockets when he realized what she was doing. "Oh sweet seal jerky, Maaaiiiiiii!" Her name became something of an expletive as she dragged him out of the frigid water and up to his feet, his vowel sounds rolling naturally into a girlish cry of surprise and pain. He didn't even try to stand on his own, or simply couldn't, and his waterlogged deadweight was quite a lot to manage. Especially with him squealing in her ear like a little girl.

She tightened her grip and shot him a dirty look out of the corner of her eye. "Do you mind?"

"Iiieeee… Mmmmhmmhmmhmmmmm, ahhhh haha… Ahh, you're trying to kill me! I should have _known_. It's too hard to give up your _old, evil ways_!"

"Do you _want_ me to drop you?"

"Yes!" he said, missing the threat. "But gently! I'm hurting in places I never knew I haaaaad!"

"Suck it up, already. I'm not leaving you here and I don't really want to drag you the whole way."

He made some more unintelligible, complaintive sounds as he tried to get his unsteady legs under him. He took some of his weight, buckled, and took it again with one foot, huffing from the exertion. "That's all I got, Mai. My other leg's shot, I must have landed on it."

"That's fine," she said, hoping he wouldn't remember her earlier part in gimping his bad leg. "We can do this." She pulled his sword free and started forward.

He clamped a hand on his back and hunched into her, shuffling and staggering along. "Ungggh, I feel like Gramp-Gramp. Where are you even taking me? Aren't we trapped down here?"

He had a point.

"Well…"

"That's deep," he joked, lolling his head against hers. "Get it? Like how we're kinda in a deep well, right now?"

She looked up, an idea crossing her mind as Sokka giggled at his own poor, delirious humor.

"You know a lot about sewers, right?"

He puffed out his chest a bit and straightened up. "More than I ever wanted to know."

"What can you tell me about this place we're in?"

He glanced around with casual, groggy disinterest. "It's an overflow tank. It handles excess water during storms or flooding."

"And how do they empty something like this? Where does the water go after it collects."

"There's a big drain," he said, matter-of-factly. He continued rambling on about a secret underground river and something about old invasion plans and the Avatar making a picture of Fire Lord Ozai out of noodles, but all Mai really heard was the word "drain".

"Drain? And you didn't think to mention this before?"

"Before what?" he asked, eyeing her like she was the delirious one.

"Never mind," she said, resisting the urge to sigh. Or scream. "So where does it drain into?"

"Probably the secret underground river, like I was _saying_," he drawled.

"And where does that go?"

"I dunno." He shrugged and then put his mouth to her ear, tickling her with a whispered, "_That's why it's a secret_." It still had to be better than their current options. Mai searched the floor, looking for any sign or swirling hint of where the drain could be. Sokka pressed his frozen forehead against the side of her face, distracting her. "Mmm… yer warm. Like a fire." He nuzzled against her. "And soft. Like… soft like something soft…"

"You are a true master of words."

He sniggered. "And yer funny. People don't… people don't realize that. About you. But you are."

"Okay, not that I don't enjoy compliments as much as the next girl. But we really need to find that drain."

Sokka pointed back to his old resting place. "It's over there. I was lyin' on it earlier. Was kinda annoyin'."

Mai stopped, blinked, and exhaled one long breath of frustration through her nose. She wanted to be mad at him. She really did. But he was grinning at her with stupid, boyish charm and pain induced delirium that somehow made him more… adorable? Likable? Loveable even?

"Consider yourself lucky," she said, and dragged him grunting and groaning over to the drain.

"Now what?" he asked, staring down at the perforated metal plate under the lightly swirling water. Her plan was only half-formed, more of a thought than anything workable, but she had no better ideas and couldn't expect more from Sokka. He'd done his part, now it was time to do hers.

"Now. We escape." Before he could object, she rammed Space Sword down into the small whirlpool and through the solid iron grate, cutting through it with ease. Water rushed past her ankles as she carved away the metal, and though it was only up to her mid-calf, it moved with a surprising amount of force.

"_Mai_…?"

She ignored the warning tone of his voice and gave one last mighty hack. A large jagged square of metal fell away into the underground, and she had just a moment to appreciate her accomplishment before Sokka lost his footing in the torrent, took her balance, and dragged her with him into the unknown. Again.

"Do I even need to point out how lucky you two are to be _alive_? I mean, what were you thinking?"

Sokka held up his hand, politely interrupting Zuko's lecture. It had certainly been going on long enough, not that Mai was really paying attention.

"To be honest," Sokka said, sounding properly contrite, "there wasn't a whole lot of thinking involved, and that was entirely my fault. I should have - OW, Mai, too tight too tight!"

She stopped wrapping his swollen ankle and undid a few passes before continuing.

"Shouldn't you let the doctor do that?" Zuko asked, folding his arms into his Fire Lord robes and looking every bit the concerned monarch.

"It's just a minor sprain, big guy. I'm fine. And Mai's doing a _great _job," Sokka said, but Mai could tell he was only complimenting her efforts to get Zuko to shut up. She undid the whole bandage job and started over, paying closer attention to the tightness and how the fabric overlapped over his tender, bruised flesh.

"I just don't understand why you were gone for _three days_," Zuko said, going back to his earlier argument. "Do you know how worried I was? My advisors wanted me to declare you both dead and start planning a huge State Funeral!"

"Everybody loves a party," Sokka joked.

"They were just after the free food," Mai quipped, not looking up from her work.

"Could you two try and take this seriously?"

"Look, Zuko, _buddy_, we're sorry. The secret river dumped us in the middle of nowhere and I was, well, I don't really even remember most of it, so I can only imagine I was quite the handful."

"Quite," Mai agreed, smirking so only Sokka could see.

"So you came back," Zuko said, piecing their story together, "as soon as you could."

"Right," Sokka said, nodding then wincing and placing a hand on his freshly bandaged forehead.

"And you didn't, I don't know, stop and take the time to teach Mai how to throw a boomerang or skin wild animals with sharp rocks or something?"

Sokka scoffed rather convincingly. "Oh please, Mai wouldn't touch a dead wild animal with a three foot stick!"

"Unless it was already cooked," she clarified, "and drizzled in a nice wildberry sauce."

"That was pretty tasty," Sokka said, grinning at her. "And you were so sure it would taste horrible."

"And so these reports I have," Zuko interrupted, pulling a scroll from his sleeve pocket and waving it in the air, "must be mistaken then?"

Mai and Sokka looked at each other and then turned their innocent, blank expressions to the Fire Lord. Sokka coughed into his hand, and blinked up at Zuko. "What reports?"

"Just something about an assassin ring getting broken up _last night_. But I'm sure you two had nothing to do with that."

Sokka questioned Mai with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged. "Doesn't ring any bells."

"Yeah, no idea," Sokka said. "We were out in the wilderness, fighting for our survival."

"Alright!" Zuko shoved the scroll away and threw his hands into the air. "Fine! Keep your secrets. I don't care. But just so you know, there's no way I'm going to leave you two alone, unsupervised, while I'm gone."

"What?" She blurted, finally giving Zuko her full attention. "That's not fair! You can't just-"

"Maiiii?" Sokka cut in with a strangled cry and she looked down at his leg on her lap. She'd tied off the bandages in her anger, cutting it tight into his swollen limb.

"Sorry." She retied the wrap and refused to meet Zuko's amber gaze though she could tell he was watching her rather intently.

"So that's why I decided," Zuko began, using the same official, no arguments allowed, tone he used with his subjects, "that as soon as Sokka is up for it, you two will accompany me and my taskforce in our efforts to find and capture Azula."

Mai looked up just in time to see Sokka give Zuko a conspiratorial thumbs up and try to hide it by running his hand back over his wolf tail. Mai didn't care if the last few days had all been some kind of elaborate plot, as long as she got to leave the palace and actually do something with her time. She was on her feet in an instant, hugging a rather surprised Zuko tighter than she'd ever hugged him before. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek in her hair.

"So you're not mad at me, anymore?"

She pulled back, giving him one of her rare smiles. "No, I think I'm actually kind of… happy. With you." He kissed her, and as much as Mai enjoyed the sensation, she couldn't help but think of a certain bruised and battered warrior lounged out on their royal sitting couch.

Zuko finally broke the kiss and stepped back, running his hands down her arms tenderly. "Alright, I'm going to go do my Fire Lord thing for a while. You two _are_ attending dinner tonight, yes?"

"I am _so_ there," Sokka said, giving two enthusiastic thumbs up. Zuko laughed and left them with a wave. Once he was gone, a strange awkwardness crept over Mai. She returned to her spot on the couch and Sokka slid his injured leg back into her lap with a contented sigh. "That went pretty well, huh?"

Mai turned and met his cool, blue gaze, but his expression was unreadable. The last three days had been some of the best of Mai's life and she felt that she finally understood Sokka and had really seen beyond the façade he showed to the world. But his mask was back, more impenetrable than ever, and she couldn't help but feel like she was missing out.

"So what about you?" she asked, hoping to get another peek at the man beneath the layers of sarcasm and deflection.

"What _about _me?"

"What do you get out of all this? You don't expect me to believe you came here just to help smooth over some relationship difficulty between Zuko and I?"

He grinned. "Who says I didn't already get something out of it? Oh, and by the way," he said, searching his pockets until he found a small velvet bag. "This is for you."

She took it and watched his face while she reached inside the pouch and removed a White Lotus tile. He smiled, broad and genuine, and sat up so he could scoot next to her and share his excitement. He was the real Sokka again, and that was a much better present than one piece out of a Pai Sho set.

"I talked to Grandmaster Iroh," Sokka said, nearly gushing, "and he agrees that The Order needs a sister branch for women. And I thought, who better to help start something like that than the future Fire Lady, am I right? I mean, you're perfect. You're exactly the kind of smart, resourceful, subtle, talented individual that The Order looks for, and let's face it, it's going to be a long while before Zuko has what it takes to-"

Mai could claim that she wasn't sure why she did it, but as her lips met his for one flawless kiss, she had no regrets. He was the perfect gentleman, taking only what she gave, and when they pulled apart Mai could see her own satisfaction mirrored in his blue eyes.

"So, this White Lotus thing," she said, full of confidence and wry humor. "Do I have to call you brother now? Because that's a _little_ creepy."

**END**


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